This Daily-Katha group contain daily inspiring Katha and talk about Swami Vivekananda life, about Indian Culture & Ma. Eknathji, spirit behind Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
You can register to get Daily Katha email by registering in group https://groups.google.com/d/forum/daily-katha

Friday, 10 May 2013

In memories of Mrs. Alice M. Hansbrough

ॐ
वीरेश्वराय विद्महे विवेकानन्दाय धीमहि । तन्नो वीर:
प्रचोदयात् ।

In 1941 Mrs. Alice Hansbrough gave these valuable reminiscences of
Swami Vivekananda in a series of informal interviews with Swami
Ashokananda in San Francisco. They were recorded by Mr A T Clifton
(later Swami Chidrupananda), who was present at the interviews.
Marie Louise Burke used portions of these reminiscences in her
work Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries. Swami
Chetanananda and a group of Vedanta students have revised and
reorganized the original manuscript of reminiscences for
publication. It has been made available for publication by
courtesy of the Vedanta Society of Northern California.

After inquiring about Mrs. Hansbrough's daughter, Swami
Ashokananda said: 'Let us begin with your first acquaintance with
Swamiji's work. How did you first hear about him?'

'I first learned of Swamiji in the spring of 1897 at a lecture in
San Francisco about three years before he came to California,'
Mrs. Hansbrough replied. 'Two friends and I went to hear a Mrs.
Annie Rix Militz speak on some metaphysical subject, and in the
course of her talk she brought out some points from Swamiji's Raja
Yoga and also quoted from the book. I was leaving not long after
for Alaska, and my friends asked me what I would like for a
steamer present. Raja Yoga was my answer. At the Emporium where
they went to get it, the clerk inquired if it was for someone
interested in such subjects. When they said it was, he recommended
that they also get Swamiji's Karma Yoga, as the two were, as he
said, "parts of a set". So I left for Alaska armed with the two
books.

'Our ship was a steam schooner. The captain was not familiar with
the course and we went far out of our way on the voyage. The
result was four weeks en route, during which time I read from my
books. I started with Karma Yoga, but found it a bit too high in
thought for me, so put it aside and read Raja Yoga first. Then
when I had finished it, I went back to Karma Yoga and read that.
During the two years I was in Alaska I read both books over again
many times.

'I remember that I used to read for a while, and the thought would
come to me, "What marvellous thoughts these are!" I would hold the
place with my finger, close the book and shut my eyes and think,
"What a wonderful man he must be who wrote these words!" And I
would try to form a picture in my mind of what he looked like.

'I met a man in Alaska who was interested in Theosophy. We used to
talk about Swamiji's books and he looked through them; but he did
not find anything interesting in them because he felt they were
not Theosophy.'
'And after you returned from Alaska,' Swami Ashokananda asked,
'did you go to Los Angeles?'

'Yes,' Mrs. Hansbrough replied. 'I came through San Francisco on
the way, and arrived in Los Angeles on November 23, 1899. Swamiji
had been in Los Angeles only a few days, I later learned.'
[Swamiji arrived on December 3, 1899.]

Mrs. Hansbrough said she remembered that Mrs. Leggett had come to
Los Angeles for some such reason, and Swami Ashokananda was
surprised to learn that Mrs. Leggett had come west at all. After
some discussion on this point, the conversation turned to Mrs.
Hansbrough's first hearing a lecture by Swami Vivekananda.

'It was on December 8, 1899,' she said. 'My sister Helen came home
that evening and said: "Who do you think is going to speak in Los
Angeles tonight? Swami Vivekananda!" All during the two years I
had been reading his books in Alaska I had never expected to see
him. Well, we rushed through dinner, made up a party, and went in.
The lecture was at eight o'clock. Blanchard Hall was on Broadway
between Eighth and Hill Streets. The audience was between six and
eight hundred people, and everyone was enchanted with Swamiji.
This was his first lecture in California and the subject was "The
Vedanta Philosophy".

'Professor Baumgardt had asked Swamiji to give the same lecture he
had given at the Brooklyn Institute on the Vedanta Philosophy.
When the lecture was over, the professor complained that it was
not the same lecture at all; and Swamiji told him that it was
impossible for him ever to give the same lecture twice: that he
could talk on the same subject, but it would not be the same.'

'How was Swamiji dressed?' Swami Ashokananda asked.

'He wore a yellow robe and turban.'

'Yellow?'

'Well, a light orange, a little lighter than the robe you use,'
Mrs. Hansbrough replied.
'And how did he look?'

'His complexion was lighter than all the swamis here today, except
Swami Devatmananda,' Mrs. Hansbrough said. 'His hair was black —
very black — with not one grey hair. A lady once asked him later
on if Hindus' hair ever turned grey!'

'How did he impress you?' Swami Ashokananda then asked.

'I got the same impression I had previously had of him; that is,
he was a most impressive personality. You know, you have told me
that it is not possible to get an impression of a personality from
the individual's writings; but I felt that I had sensed Swamiji's
personality from his books, and the impression was verified when I
heard him speak.

'His voice I should say was baritone — certainly nearer to bass
than tenor; and it was the most musical voice I have ever heard.
At the end of the lecture he closed with that chant, "I am
Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, Bliss Absolute." Everyone
was enchanted with his talk.

'Whenever he quoted from Sanskrit he would chant the quotation —'

'He would actually chant?' Swami Ashokananda interrupted to ask.

'Yes,' Mrs. Hansbrough replied. 'He would chant in Sanskrit and
then translate. Once later on he apologized for quoting in
Sanskrit, and explained that he still thought in that language and
then had to translate his thoughts into English.

'When it was over, the rest of our party went up on the platform
where a number of people had collected to speak to Swamiji. I
sought out Professor Baumgardt, however, to find out when and
where Swamiji was going to lecture again. When I asked him he
inquired, "Are you interested in the swami's teachings?" I told
him I had been studying them for two years, and he said, "Well, I
will introduce you to the swami's hostess." He introduced me to
Miss MacLeod, who, when I told her I had been studying Swamiji's
works for so long, asked if I wouldn't like to go to call on him.
Of course I said I would be delighted, and so it was arranged. It
was not until after his second lecture, however, that we did meet
him.